Mechanically propelled fishing lures have been proposed in several different embodiments in the past. Generally, these lures have been unreliable and overly complex in their structure. Prior attempts to produce a successful mechanically propelled lure have included attempts to store driving energy in elastic bands, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,183,365, to A. B. Cross. These structures have not provided reliability and have not produced a manner of operation of the lure which properly simulates the live action of fish or other bait. Attempts have also been made to simulate live action by using springs. Two such attempts are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,932,112, to E. G. Graves, Jr. and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,667 to A. M. Tripp. However, because of the manner of use of the springs in these, and other comparable references, accurate simulation and reliable operation has not been achieved.
Because of the unreliability of such mechanical devices, resulting in part from the direct loading of the spring mechanism and the effect of water impurities on these components, some attempt has been made to use electrically and chemically powered animated lures. In these arrangements, batteries must be stored in the body of the lure making the lure bulky and necessarily requiring repeated replacement and recharging of the battery as its power is consumed. The use of chemically activated devices also has been found to be unreliable, expensive and difficult to maintain in proper operation over extended periods of use.
Thus, a need has arisen for a reliable, yet relatively simple and easy to manufacture, mechanically driven lure which can be selectively and repeatedly activated by line action after casting the lure and which can withstand the high loading occasioned in gamefish angling.